First Peter - Lorin

with the idea of respectful submission and regard for the other person. The admonition here is similar to the
earlier one in 3:8. 52
The basis for this admonition is taken from Proverb 3:34. 53 The principle of God blessing those with humility
and rejecting those with the opposite is extensive in the New Testament and underscores Peter’s point here. 54
One should also note that this OT quote will open the door for the next subunit of 5:6-11 in this letter.
Thus when the Christian communities are being properly led by their leaders (vv. 1-4) and the members
are showing respect and considerate regard for one another (v. 5), they will indeed be moving toward fortifying
themselves to face unjust suffering in a Christ honoring fashion. Such an atmosphere will be created inside
the congregations that can strengthen the resolve of everyone to remain true to Christ even when pressure
is loaded on them to abandon their Christian commitment. Peter paints an idealized picture here of a close
knit community of faith that God can bless and use in powerful ways to affirm the presence and power of God
Himself.
What can we learn from this in our day? A lot! Here is how ‘church’ should function at its best. With many
pastors more concerned about ‘occupying an office with power and authority’ Peter shreds such false thinking
to pieces by his words here. Leadership that works well spiritually is leadership by example and by strength of
character. The ‘servant leader’ model advocated by Jesus 55 is re-enforced and affirmed by Peter here. What a
revolution would take place were the spiritual leaders in the churches to take these words of Peter seriously.
Weak and struggling churches could find renewed spiritual strength to faithfully carry out the commands of
Christ.
But the burden also falls on the entire congregation to show humility and respect for everyone else, including
its leaders. With ‘pastor burn out’ chewing up perhaps a third or more ministers so that they ‘leave
the ministry’ a long time before retirement, 56 such an atmosphere of mutual consideration for one another
is critical. Out of past pastoral experiences, I have observed that when a church moves toward this ideal,
renewed spiritual life transforms the congregation. When it moves away from this goal, disaster looms for the
congregation. And one final observation: the mutual respect must be genuine and deeply rooted, not formal
or shallow. Here is the true meaning of being a “New Testament church.”
χρῄζει every prayer requires humility Hv 3, 10, 6. Humility can also be wrongly directed Col 2:18, 23.—Lit. s.v. πραΰτης and
ταπεινόω 4. Also KDeissner, D. Idealbild d. stoischen Weisen 1930; Vögtle (s.v. πλεονεξία) word-list; LGilen, Demut des Christen
nach d. NT: ZAszMyst 13, ’38, 266–84; LMarshall, Challenge of NT Ethics ’47, 92–96; ADihle, Demut: RAC III ’56, 735–78
[lit.]; SRehol, Das Problem der Demut in der profan-griechischen Literatur im Vergleich zu Septuaginta und NT ’61.—DELG s.v.
ταπεινός. EDNT. TW.” [William Arndt, Frederick W. Danker and Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and
Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 989.]
52 “Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind.”
Τὸ δὲ τέλος πάντες ὁμόφρονες, συμπαθεῖς, φιλάδελφοι, εὔσπλαγχνοι, ταπεινόφρονες,
53 “Our author reinforces this teaching here (as in 2:21; 3:18; 4:8) by adding an OT citation, Prov. 3:34, which was likely a
favorite in the early church, for it also appears in Jas. 4:6 (and later in 1 Clem. 30:2 and Ignatius, Eph. 5:3). This is reversal-offortunes
language, of which both the NT (e.g., Luke 1:51–53; 6:24–26; Jas. 2:5) and the OT (1 Sam. 2:7–8; Pss. 28:27; 31:23; Ezek.
17:24; Zeph. 2:3; Sir. 10:14–15) make use. Those who are powerful and self-sufficient God rejects and destroys, while those who
are humble and submitted to God (e.g., Num. 12:3; Judg. 6:15) he enriches with his gifts and exaltation. This teaching, which in the
NT was supremely seen in the teaching of Jesus, is surely reason enough for any Christian humbly to serve another. And if this is
the case, the church will operate effectively even under the stress of persecution.” [Peter H. Davids, The First Epistle of Peter, The
New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1990), 185.]
54 “This image fits well with what is tied on: humility. Peter has already referred to it in 3:8, for it is a cardinal Christian virtue
(Acts 20:19; Eph. 4:2; Phil. 2:3; Col. 3:12; cf. Mark 10:42–45), indicating a servant’s attitude toward others. It is something the NT
values highly, in contrast to either Judaism or Hellenistic culture, due to the example of Jesus.” [Peter H. Davids, The First Epistle
of Peter, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1990),
185.]
55See Matthew 20:17-28 (// Mark 10:35-45); Matthew 23:1-12 (// Mark 12:38-40; Luke 11:37-52, 20:45-47); Mark 9:33-37 (//
Matt. 18:1-8; Luke 9:46-48).
56One important study on this topic is H.B. London and Neil B. Wiseman, Pastors At Risk (Portland, OR: Victor Press, 1993),
based on a 1991 extensive survey of pastors across the US. The numbers are rather shocking: some 1,600 ministers are forced to
resign their churches monthly in the US. Over the past 20 years the average length of a pastorate has declined from seven years to
just over two years.
Bible Study: Page 266